Denver Broncos defender D.J. Williams picks himself off the ground after the St. Louis Rams' Billy Bajema scores his second touchdown of the second quarter of play Sunday November 28, 2010 at Invesco Field at Mile High. Photo by Andy Cross, The Denver Post

Denver Broncos teammates Syd'Quan Thompson, left and Renaldo Hill stop the St. Louis Rams' Danario Alexander at the goal line during the second quarter of play Sunday November 28, 2010 at Invesco Field at Mile High. Photo by Joe Amon, The Denver Post

A dejected Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Lloyd after dropping a pass during the fourth quarter of play of the Broncos 36-33 loss to the St. Louis Rams Sunday November 28, 2010 at Invesco Field at Mile High. Photo by John Leyba, The Denver Post

Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Lloyd momentarily grabs a pass from quarterback Kyle Orton before dropping it during an NFL game at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver on Nov. 28, 2010.

Wide receiver Eddie Royal, center, watches from the bench in the third quarteras the Rams take a 33-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

On second thought, much as it appeared for a fleeting moment it would be a comeback for the ages, better burn it. There is nothing about this Broncos season worth preserving.

For memory’s sake, there was evidence the Broncos players went down fighting for their embattled coach, Josh McDaniels. A game effort. A futile effort, nonetheless.

The St. Louis Rams, who are not even a year removed from a 1-15 record, defeated the still-proud, if nearly forgettable, Broncos 36-33 before a heavy no-show gathering on a dark Sunday afternoon at Invesco Field at Mile High.

“Not to downplay what happened, but whatever the team did or didn’t do, it doesn’t take away from who Josh is and how he prepares us,” said Broncos receiver Brandon Lloyd, who appears to be Hawaii-bound after producing in his 11th consecutive game this season. “That’s how we’re coached to play. That says a lot about Coach McDaniels. And that says a lot about the players here.”

For all the difficult weeks McDaniels has endured since owner Pat Bowlen selected him — and not the defensive-minded candidate Steve Spagnuolo — to become the Broncos’ coach 22 1/2 months ago, this past weekend topped them all.

On Saturday, he held a news conference to explain how he wasn’t involved in rule-breaking videotaping of a San Francisco 49ers practice last month but mistakenly failed to report it.

“We had one team meeting over it, and it was pretty much over after three minutes,” said Kyle Orton, whose three fourth-quarter touchdown passes nearly brought the Broncos back from a 33-13 deficit. “There’s stuff that happens throughout an NFL season and as pros, and as men, you worry about your own business. You worry about your own work.”

While two players McDaniels discarded — Peyton Hillis, who rushed for three touchdowns, and Jay Cutler, who passed for four — had sensational afternoons Sunday, his own Broncos were wilting in the middle portion of the game against a Rams team that wound up hiring Spagnuolo to become its head coach.

Again, the Broncos were immediately sharp, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive. But again, their early efficiency only delayed impending doom.

They went up 7-0 on the San Diego Chargers last Monday, only to trail 35-7 early in the fourth quarter. They went up 10-0 early against the Rams. Not halfway through the third quarter, the Broncos were down 33-13.

With the Broncos 3-8 and about to start a road stretch that won’t end until after Christmas, there are many areas where they have fallen short. Failing to score on the final drive with the outcome at stake. Failing to make enough big plays in the kicking department. But as blame gets passed around, the defense is perhaps the most fitting place to start.

Once 2-2 after an impressive victory at Tennessee, the Broncos have allowed a staggering 238 points in their next seven games, an average of 34.0.

“I didn’t know we had been in a stretch like that,” nose tackle Jamaal Williams said. “I’m speechless.”

“That’s not a pretty stat,” defensive end Justin Bannan said. “I’ve been on both ends of this. I was in Baltimore when we won five games (in 2007). The next year we’re in the AFC championship. The year we won five games, we couldn’t buy a break to save our lives. I feel like this team, we come out and play hard every week. It seems like when it goes like this, it’s tough to crawl out of the hole. And when you’re winning, the ball always seems to bounce your way.”

St. Louis’ Slingin’ Sam Bradford, a rookie quarterback, barely got his uniform dirty as the Broncos generated no pass rush. He may have worked up a sweat with all those bootleg passes he threw to wide-open receivers. But perspiration should not be confused with stress.

“The ball’s gone, it comes out quick,” Bannan said. “They don’t want him to be touched. They do that to every team. And he did play a heckuva game.”

Bradford kept throwing to wide-open tight ends with odd last names. Michael Hoomanawanui caught the first touchdown off a 36-yard screen pass, and Billy Bajema caught the next two.

About the only splice the Broncos can use for their 2010 highlight film is the deep-pass plays of Orton to Lloyd. They connected for two more touchdowns Sunday.

But when a quarterback and receiver are having Pro Bowl-caliber seasons and the team still has a last-place record, it doesn’t take hours of film study to figure out what’s wrong.

“Giving up 30-something points is tough to consistently try to match on offense,” McDaniels said. “There’s no doubt about that.”

Mike Klis was with The Denver Post from Jan. 1, 1998 before leaving in 2015 to join KUSA 9News. He covered the Rockies and Major League Baseball until the 2005 All-Star break, when he was asked to start covering the Broncos.

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